


By Any Other Name

by Gizzwhizz



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Promnis Week, Promnis Week 2019, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 09:44:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17485811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gizzwhizz/pseuds/Gizzwhizz
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Prompto had kept the name of his Soulmate hidden. First by long sleeves or, more recently, by keeping a bandana tied around the name that wrapped around his bicep. Not everyone hid the names of their Soulmates. In fact, some people displayed them proudly, either because they had already found theirs or because they couldn’t wait for the look of shock and surprise they’d get when their destined love saw it for the first time. But Prompto kept his hidden.Because he’d already met his Soulmate, and Ignis Scientia hadn’t reacted at all.For Promnis Week 2019 Day 8: Make-up Day, Soulmate AU





	By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to my bestie SunshineandSnark who kicked this headcanon around with me on [tumblr](http://gizzwhizz.tumblr.com/post/169412015629/a-headcanon-from-gizzwhizz) about a year ago now. I really love this idea and I hope you all enjoy this slight twist on a Soulmate AU. <3

For as long as he could remember, Prompto had kept the name of his Soulmate hidden. First by long sleeves or, more recently, by keeping a bandana tied around the name that wrapped around his bicep. Not everyone hid the names of their Soulmates. In fact, some people displayed them proudly, either because they had already found theirs or because they couldn’t wait for the look of shock and surprise they’d get when their destined love saw it for the first time. But Prompto kept his hidden. 

Because he’d already met his Soulmate, and Ignis Scientia hadn’t reacted at all. 

When he was little he’d used to lay in bed, tracing the letters on his arm and wondering about the person that the name belonged to. Ignis sounded like a male name, but that wasn’t guaranteed. So some nights he pictured a beautiful girl with jet black hair and others a handsome boy with hair as light as his (though that was highly unlikely with a name that so clearly belonged to someone Insomnian born). And some nights he was more realistic, imaging someone who wasn’t so picture perfect and was more, in a word, normal. 

Try as he might, however, he could never quite get the face right. There was always something wrong, something missing. 

Then had come the fateful afternoon during high school when Prompto’s new best friend, Noctis, had invited him over to his apartment after school. And Ignis was there. Ignis Scientia. Prompto’s mouth had fallen opened at the name and he could feel his heart clattering against his rib cage. This was it. He could feel it. The name on his bicep itched as soon as they made eye contact. Ignis was tall with an angular face and perfect cheekbones and the most enchanting accent and… 

And he had smiled politely at Prompto and gone back to cutting vegetables. 

Prompto had stayed rooted to the spot for several seconds until Noct tugged on his sleeve and practically dragged him into the other room to play video games, but he couldn’t concentrate and lost every match. What had happened? Could he be wrong? Was there another Ignis Scientia out there somewhere? It didn’t sound like a common name, but he supposed it was possible. And then a worse thought had struck him. He’d been a little too preoccupied to listen to whatever Noct’s explanation for Ignis’ presence was, but if he was in the Prince’s apartment then surely he was connected to the Citadel and the court himself. What if someone so important simply couldn’t stand the thought that their Soulmate was so obviously an outsider? What if he’d been rejected, simple as that? 

Once that thought had crossed his mind, Prompto found that he didn’t have the nerve to bring it up with the Advisor, even as they got to be better friends through his frequent visits to Noct’s apartment. He’d always preferred to keep his Soulmate’s name covered, though he was never as strict about it as he was with the strange tattoo on his wrist. After that day, however, Prompto made sure the name on his bicep was always hidden somehow. 

He managed to keep his secret for nearly five years. But in truth it was only a matter of time, especially once he found himself camping and sharing hotel rooms with Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis himself as their ill-fated road trip dragged on. It had been a month since Insomnia had fallen and they had scraped together enough gil to share a hotel room for the night when he was finally caught. 

He had just turned the water off on the shower and was reaching for a towel when there was a knock on the door and Noct came in without waiting for an answer. 

“Dude!” Prompto yelped, hurrying to wrap the towel around his waist. “A little privacy?” 

“Sorry, I’m about to burst,” Noct muttered in response, “and no way I’m peeing in a bush again when we finally have a toilet around.” 

Prompto huffed, thought mostly because he felt fairly certain that, had it been Gladio or Ignis in the shower, Noctis would have opted to go outside and pee in a bush. Such was the price of being best friends. He stared at the ceiling while he waited for his friend to finish, only to realize that the sound of Noct relieving himself had ended some time ago and his friend was still standing there. He lowered his gaze a fraction and met wide, midnight blue eyes gaping at him. 

Prompto looked down at himself in a panic. His eyes went first to his wrist, but no, the leather bracelet was still there. He had taken to just always leaving it on, even when he was washing up, just to be safe. His bandana, on the other hand, soaked up too much water and took forever to dry. 

His heart sank. 

“Dude,” Noct whispered. 

Prompto’s hand immediately when to cover the name emblazoned on his bicep, but the damage was done. He heard a zipper and the sound of the toilet flushing, but Noct didn’t move otherwise. Prompto just stood there, staring at his bare feet with his face burning and wet hair dripping into his eyes. 

“Please,” he found himself whispering, “don’t tell him.” He looked up to meet Noct’s eyes again. The Prince’s eyes shifted between Prompto and the bathroom door. When they settled back on Prompto, he leaned closer to the tub so he could lower his voice even more. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Noct hissed. “Like, ever?” 

“Why didn’t he?” Prompto shot back. “This is a two way street, you know.” He pointed to what he could see of Luna’s name where it curled around the side of Noct’s neck, which only made Noct raise a hand to cover the letters self-consciously. “If we’re really Soulmates, then he has my name, too.” 

Noct frowned at that, but it wasn’t out of frustration. It was the kind of look he got when he was trying to figure out how to say something. Or trying to look cool when he had a terrible hand on the nights that they played cards. Noct was a terrible liar. 

“What?” Prompto asked. Noct’s gaze slid to the floor and that only made Prompto’s curiosity burn brighter. “Wait, you’ve known Ignis forever,” he suddenly realized, feeling like slapping himself. “So you’ve seen his Soulmate’s name, right?” 

“Well…yeah. Once. Or twice,” Noct muttered. He was shifting his weight now, clearly uncomfortable about something. Prompto’s shoulder’s sagged. Why hadn’t he thought to ask Noct sooner? Of course he’d seen it.

“So what does it say?” He asked. The words wanted to stick in his throat, but he forced them out. After all this time, so many nights spent turning hope over in his mind, he finally had the answer in his grasp. But Noct just shook his head. 

“You should talk to Iggy about it,” he said, turning towards the door. 

“What?” Prompto hissed. “Noct! Hey, wait! Just tell me!” He’d raised his voice from their conspiratorial whisper to a near shout by the end, but the Prince wasn’t swayed and simply left the bathroom. Prompto stared at the door and then slowly turned to look at himself in the fogged mirror. 

“What the hell?” he whispered to himself. It took a few more minutes before he could remember how to move his limbs and begin the job of drying himself off and pulling his clothes back on. He made sure to double-knot the bandana tight around his arm and checked himself in the mirror to make certain the name was completely hidden, and all the while his mind kept churning. Noct had looked so shocked. So it really wasn’t his name that Ignis had etched somewhere on his body. But if that was true, why wouldn’t Noct just say so? It didn’t add up. There was something he was missing, but he couldn’t begin to fathom what it was. 

When he finally stepped out of the humid bathroom into the cool air of the hotel room he found Ignis sitting on the edge of one of the beds making notes in the journal he always kept handy. Noctis and Gladio were nowhere to be found. 

“Hey, Igs,” Prompto greeted, still running the towel over his hair. “Where’d Noct and Gladio go?” 

“Across the street,” Ignis said, gesturing to the window where the lights of the Crow’s Nest diner were visible across the parking lot. Prompto gave a noncommittal hum and reached into his bag for his brush, only to freeze halfway through the motion at Ignis’ next words. 

“Noctis said that you had something you wished to speak with me about?” 

_‘That traitor!’_ Prompto thought. He straightened and did his best to smile at Ignis. 

“Did he?” He asked with an awkward little giggle. His voice was an octave too high as well. Ignis finished whatever he was writing and closed his journal, replacing it in his inner jacket pocket before look up at Prompto. 

“Yes,” he said calmly. “He assured me it wasn’t anything important, but we both know that His Highness is a terrible liar, and it didn’t help that he looked rather like he’d just seen a ghost.” 

Prompto paled and sat down heavily on the room’s second bed, facing Ignis. Over the past five years he’d like to think they’d become friends, but the truth was that he had never felt as free around Ignis or Gladio as he did around Noct. Part of it was simply that both older men were intimidating in their own ways, but Ignis.... 

The name on his arm itched. 

Ignis evidently sensed how nervous he was, because he uncrossed his legs and relaxed his face. In short, he did everything he could to make his body language seem opened and friendly. The fact that Prompto knew he was doing it on purpose did nothing whatsoever to calm the blond down, however. 

“Prompto,” Ignis said gently, as though speaking to a frightened animal. “Whatever it is, I promise that you can tell me,” he said, spreading his gloved hands out, palms up. 

Prompto swallowed and was quiet for another minute, weighing his options. He could say nothing, but Ignis knew _something_ was up now, and eventually he’d bring it up again and maybe they wouldn’t be alone next time. On the other hand, he could bite the bullet and finally get his answer. Either his Soulmate mark was some kind of cosmic joke, or Ignis really had known all along and simply didn’t want to be with him. But at least he’d know, one way or the other. 

He took a deep breath and raised a shaking hand to his bandana. For a moment he simply held the fabric between his fingers. Then Ignis called his name again and he fumbled with the knot. He’d tied it tighter than normal, however, and his bitten nails kept slipping off the fabric until at last frustration won out and he simply yanked the whole thing down his arm. 

He had put his tank top back on, so there was nothing to obstruct Ignis’ view. He kept his eyes on his still bare feet against the hotel’s ancient carpet, trying to remember to breathe slowly through his nose. Several moments passed in absolute silence. 

The click of a lamp turning on made him jump and he looked up to find Ignis kneeling beside him. When had the Advisor moved? 

“May I?” Ignis asked, reaching out towards Prompto’s arm. Prompto let out a shuddering breath and nodded, extending his arm a bit in offering. He felt the supple leather of Ignis’ gloves, one hand on his forearm and the other just above the name. Ignis gently guided Prompto to tilt his arm this way and that so he could see the full name where it wrapped around Prompto’s skin. It took several deep breaths before Prompto could summon up the courage to sneak a peek at Ignis’ face. His eyes weren’t wide the way Noct’s had been, but there _was_ something there that Prompto couldn’t remember ever seeing before: confusion. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurted suddenly. 

“What on earth are you apologizing for?” Ignis asked, but Prompto only shook his head. He wasn’t sure. Because it was him, maybe? He took another shaky breath and realized with a shock of embarrassment that his cheeks felt damp. He hurried to scrub his other arm over his face, though new tears rushed to replace the ones he wiped away. 

“Prompto,” Ignis finally said, releasing his arm at last and sitting back on his heels, “why didn’t you ever say anything?” Prompto let out a laugh that was only slightly tinged with hysteria. 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that like this is _my_ fault?” he demanded of the room, swearing under his breath as he brushed away more tears. 

“My apologies,” Ignis said in a near whisper, but Prompto wasn’t looking at him anymore. He thought the Advisor was apologizing for the question, but the next moment he heard a snap. And then another one. Sniffing miserably, Prompto turned back to Ignis and found he had undone one of his gloves and was pulling it off. 

Prompto watched with his heart in his throat while Ignis laid the glove on his knee and rolled his sleeve up enough to bare his wrist to Prompto. It took a moment for what was written there to make sense in Prompto’s mind. He didn’t want to see it; he didn’t want to see someone else’s name on his Soulmate’s skin. After a moment, however, he blinked the water from his eyes and forced himself to read the letters. 

And then he read it again. 

“I must apologize, Prompto,” Ignis said quietly and he sounded almost ashamed. “I fear that—” The Advisor cut himself off in surprise when Prompto suddenly threw himself on the carpet and seized his wrist, pulling it closer to his face. He had to read it again. He had to make sure. He’d never seen the letters and numbers all right-side up in a line like this. He had to make sure they were all there. 

NH-01987 0006-0204 

His head was swimming and when he finally looked up at Ignis again he felt sure from the worried knit of the Advisor’s brows that he’d called his name several times in the last few minutes. Prompto didn’t answer, however. He simply couldn’t find any words. Instead he reached for the leather cuff on his wrist and a few more crisp snaps filled the room. 

He swallowed around a lump that was most certainly his thundering heart lodged in his throat as he held his wrist out for Ignis to inspect. It was the first time anyone besides his parents or his childhood doctor had ever seen the mark. He’d never understood what it was, but it had always seemed best not to question the decision all the grown-ups had come to: keep it hidden at all costs. 

Until now. 

This time Ignis’ eyes did widen and his eyebrows climbed his high forehead. Slowly, he moved to cradle Prompto’s wrist as gently as if he were holding a butterfly between his palms. Prompto gave him time to inspect the tattoo, especially since half the code was upside down. He watched Ignis’ eyes go over every letter and number several times before he finally raised his gaze to Prompto’s face once more. 

“What is this?” Ignis breathed. Prompto gave him a lopsided smile and shook his head, feeling another tear trail down his face. 

“A tattoo. I think. I don’t really know,” he admitted. “I’ve had it forever. It was on my adoption papers and everything. Maybe…maybe it was my original name?” 

Ignis made a face that showed just how distasteful he found that idea, but it cleared when he turned his own wrist over to place it beside Prompto’s. All of the same letters and numbers were definitely there. Prompto looked at them, too, and felt his stomach do an odd little flip inside of him. 

“It’s weird, I know,” he began in a shaky voice. “I don’t understand it either. And…and you’re so much more important than some pleb like me from who-knows-where. So…so I get it. I t-totally get it if you…um…” His words came to a halt when he felt the warm leather of Ignis’ other hand rest against his cheek. Gently, the hand encouraged him to raise his chin. When he at last met Ignis’ eyes again, he felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him to see water pooling behind the Advisor’s glasses. 

“Prompto, you are, without a doubt, the most selfless person I have ever had the immense pleasure of meeting,” Ignis whispered, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips. “I am more than honored to be your Soulmate.” 

It felt like a knot of tension, one that had been twisting inside of him for years, suddenly released and Prompto practically fell forward into Ignis’ arms. His heart soared and more tears fell and at some point there were warm lips against his but it was all such a whirlwind that all he could really focus on were the arms wrapped firmly around him. Keeping him safe. Holding him steady. 

After all this time, finally, he belonged. 

Prompto didn’t know how long they stayed like that, both kneeling on the floor with Prompto resting limp in Ignis’ arms like a marionette with his strings cut. He still had so many questions. What happened now? They were a little too busy at the moment to begin any kind of whirlwind romance, and yet now that he was sure he’d found his Soulmate he wasn’t sure he could bare to keep pretending they were merely friends. Besides, Noct was probably telling Gladio all about it in the Crow’s Nest right now, even if he didn’t know the full story. So many questions, but for the first time Prompto wasn’t afraid of what their answers might be. 

Eventually, Prompto licked his lips and managed to find his voice again, only to blurt out the first question that came to his mind. 

“Is your middle name really Stupeo?”


End file.
